Nigerian media say a domestic airliner has crashed in the southern city of Port Harcourt, killing at least 56 passengers.

Reports from the scene say more than 100 people were on board the plane, which is said to have caught fire at one point. Witnesses report several people were taken to the hospital.

The plane, operated by Nigeria's Sosoliso Airlines, was bringing passengers from the capital, Abuja, nearly 500 kilometers to the north.

Local officials are investigating the cause of the crash.

Nigeria's aviation industry has been struck by several recent fatal crashes. In October, a plane operated by Nigeria's Bellview Airlines crashed after taking off in the city of Lagos, killing 117 people. The cause of that crash is still not clear.

Two people were killed in November when a private plane crashed in the city of Kaduna.